June 10, 2019 - August 26, 2020: Year of the Women's Suffrage Centennial

June 10, 2019 - August 26, 2020: Year of the Women's Suffrage Centennial

WHEREAS, on June 10, 1919, Michigan ratified the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, which would grant national suffrage to women; and,

WHEREAS, prior to passage of the 19th Amendment, Michigan passed an amendment to its state constitution granting Michigan women the right to vote in 1918; and,

WHEREAS, Michigan was one of the first three states to ratify the 19th Amendment, ratifying on the same date as Wisconsin and Illinois; and,

WHEREAS, Michigan was once home to prominent suffragists such as Sojourner Truth, Anna Howard Shaw, Clara Arthur, and Lucia Voorhees Grimes; and,

WHEREAS, Michigan’s early ratification paved the way for other states to ratify the 19th Amendment; and,

WHEREAS, states and communities across the nation are celebrating the 19th Amendment and the date of their state’s ratification; and,

WHEREAS, August 26, 2020, will mark the nationwide centennial of the addition of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution after the required number of states had ratified it and the U.S. Secretary of State signed the amendment into law;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Gretchen Whitmer, governor of Michigan, do hereby proclaim June 10, 2019, through August 26, 2020, as the Year of the Women’s Suffrage Centennial in Michigan and encourage residents to commemorate June 10, 2019, as the centennial of Michigan’s ratification of the 19th Amendment, commemorate August 26, 2020, as the centennial of the 19th Amendment becoming part of the U.S. Constitution, and participate in Suffrage Centennial activities throughout the year.